Sermon 8th December 2013
Text Matthew Matthew 3:1-12 –
Detoxing our souls
Detox diets
seem to be all the rage with people wanting to drop a few kilos or dress sizes
to get ready for summer.
Winter has
taken its toll but can be hidden under layers of woolly jumpers to hide those
extra kilos that seem to creep their way in during the colder months.
It’s so easy
to put on those kilos but it’s so hard to take them off.
And so the
ads are coming through quick and fast on the latest fads before you have to put
on those summer clothes that don’t hide much.
There’s been
the lemon detox, the 7 day detox, the 10 day detox, the 20 day detox; the fruit
juice detox.
Detox aims
at flushing out all the bad things that have clogged our bodies.
Detoxing is
a quick way to feel good and maybe drop those kilos quickly but unless it is
followed up by a lifestyle change, the original kilos soon come back – and they
bring along a few friends with them.
Today a new
character enters into our Advent season whom we know very well.
John the
Baptist.
This was a
person who had a very strange diet of eating locusts and wild honey.
John was a
big fan of detox but not the food type of detox to deal with our physical
concerns.
No, John was
concerned about a more damaging harm being done, not to the body, but to the
soul.
He called
for the people who came to see him to “repent”.
To detox
from harmful ways that were damaging their souls.
The detox
that John calls for is “Repentance”.
Repentance
is a change of life.
A change in
the way we live and change in the way we think.
It is a
turning away from a way of living that is causing harm in our spiritual life
and turning back to God.
It is much
like turning away from all the junk food we eat and back to fruit and
vegetables.
Away from
the alcohol and fizzy drinks and back to water.
And God has
promised, when we return he will receive us and forgive us.
Isn’t it
funny though how we naturally gravitate to the junk?
We know it’s
not good for us.
We have
regrets and wish we didn’t eat what we did.
And when we
eat fruit and veggies and drink water it’s amazing how great they taste and how
good we feel, but we don’t crave them.
Our bodies
crave what’s not good.
I want to
look at the 3 Repentance comments that John makes and why he makes them:
Repent – the
Kingdom of Heaven is near.
John might
seem like one of those cartoon characters we often see with the sandwich board
around their neck crying out – repent – the end is near.
Nobody takes
them serious.
As Jesus
said last week in our Gospel reading – no one knows the day or hour when Jesus
is going to return so his return is always near.
If he were
to return today we couldn’t say that we weren’t warned.
Even though
it’s been 2,000 years there is no reason why it could not be today.
Nor do any
of us know when our last day will be.
Just like
the rich fool who gloated over his success and decided to sit back, eat, drink
and be merry.
To which God
replied: 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. (Luke
12:20).
John was
concerned that the people were complacent.
We all know
someone who has put off committing to God.
I’m just too
busy with work and family now.
We often see
that with their church attendance.
We’re just
too busy to commit to church at the moment.
Sunday’s our
only chance to sleep in and have time at home.
Our task is
to pray for them and seek ways to support them.
They may be
too busy for church – but the church should never be too busy for them.
We need to
support them so that the kingdom of heaven remains near to them.
The Kingdom
of Heaven is not just near in time – it should also be near in physical terms.
As
Christians and as the church, maybe we can look for ways to take the Kingdom of
heaven to them just as Jesus took the kingdom to those who didn’t belong to the
local synagogue – the sinners and tax collectors.
We can take
the church to them by visiting them – phoning them – offering ways in which we
can support them in raising their children’s faith as we promised when they
were baptised.
We get
critical when they don’t bring their children to church – but maybe we can
think of ways we can bring the church to their children.
Bear fruit
worthy of repentance
Just as
lemon trees produce lemons, orange trees produce oranges, and apple trees
produce apples – so too a Christian who has been saved by God’s love and mercy
should produce love and mercy to others as fruit of our lives being saved by
God.
That was the
teaching behind the unmerciful servant who refused to forgive the debt of one
of his servants, a meagre few dollars, even though he had just been forgiven
millions of dollars by the King. (Matthew 18:21-35)
The church
and Christians need to be examples of the love and forgiveness we have received
from God, including those who do not love us as Jesus said:
“You have
heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell
you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:43,44).
Repentance
is turning away from how the world acts and acting how God acts.
But like
junk food we tend to stray back too easily to the ways of the world in treating
one another.
We hurt one
another with the words we use.
We take our
time to forgive when we’re hurt.
We get angry
and say things we shouldn’t – treat people with disrespect.
That sort of
thing doesn’t bring the Kingdom of Heaven nearer but drives people away from
church.
I’m sure we
can all think of ways that we have not really been good examples of the love
and mercy we have received.
Baptism of
repentance
This is
where the promise of John becomes all significant to Christians.
Baptism is
the solemn pledge of God to Christians that he will never forsake them.
In spite of
our waywardness, God will always welcome us back like the father of the
prodigal son.
Baptism is
the covenant of God that he will not and cannot break.
We can
reject it but God cannot revoke it.
And that’s
the difference between a promise made by God and a promise made by humans.
In fact we
see when God made his covenant with Abraham he swore by himself.
We often
“swear to God” or swear on the Bible in court when we want to emphasise a
solemn promise – so does God:
The writer
to the Hebrews talks about the covenant which God made to Abraham:
When God
made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear
by, he swore by himself, (Hebrews 6:13).
And so when
God makes a promise he keeps it.
And it is
through that promise that we have peace with God.
A peace that
comes from knowing that God will never reject us when we come to him in
repentance.
God will
never turn us away when we turn to him.
That’s the
peace we have – the peace that goes beyond all understanding as we light the
2nd Candle of Advent today – the candle of Peace.
St Paul
says: since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).
There is a
saying – you are what you eat.
If you eat
junk food then your body will reflect that.
But also, if
you live your life right your body won’t crave junk food.
When I’ve
been exercising I crave water and fruit.
Likewise, if
we sin our lives are affected – anger, hatred, resentment – these are the fruit
of sin.
But when we
live lives of repentance and live lives of prayer, worship and love then our
lives find a peace that can’t be found anywhere else.
This is the
fruit of repentance.
And since we
are children of God in Baptism and in Holy Communion receive the Body and Blood
of Christ, we are what we eat and are called to live lives that reflect that.
May the
peace of God that surpasses our understanding, keep your hearts and minds
forever in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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